Community comes together at festival

2012-10-15 10:43:37

The mother of a man killed in an officer-involved shooting in 2009 – a woman who'd led protests against police – stood at the microphone of a City Council meeting and called for unity after weeks of unrest in the city.

"I think it's time that we have a day of healing. Just one day of nonviolence – one community day," she said. "Get together. Get to know one another. Have some food. Just talk.

"Because there has been so much grief, so much anger," she continued, "we need to really have just one day of love."

That calm, conciliatory message from Theresa Smith, 65, the mother of Caesar Cruz, touched a lot of people in the audience that night and set off a string of conversations to make that happen.

It resulted in the Come Together Anaheim Festival held last weekend at La Palma Park, where community members participated in art projects, enjoyed entertainment and watched rescue demonstrations, among other activities.